Griffin’s Reviews > Follow the Roar: Tailing Tiger for All 604 Holes of His Most Spectacular Season > Status Update

The Roar of the Tiger is a book about finding your strength when you have none. This is a story not about golf but about passion for your dream. Bob Smiley wanted to see what greatness really was and it wasn't until the end when he learned about Tiger's injuries that all the hype about Tiger was actually true. He watched a man methodically take care of his craft and passion with total control.

Bob couldn't understand how a man could give up the rest of his season for a chance to play the US Open. Tiger Woods chose to end his year with one great week of golf. In the end, he won and Bob Smiley caught his antagonist who became his protagonist. Tiger willed his body to get through the week of pain to become the Champion of the US Open. Nobody knew the terrible pain he was in except for Tiger.

Bob is no class all the way. He gets to the different countries on free millage miles and the kindness of others. Bob arrives early and watches Tiger's every move, Tiger never even gives Bob a look or a tip of his cap almost through the entire book. Bob chases his antagonist and realized the golf coarse and Tiger's own body was the real antagonist. Tiger's body had two stress fractures and a torn ACL.

The book follow the roar is really a tale about a writer who follows is dream. In the book the protagonist is Bob Smiley. He travels from city to country to see his antagonist Tiger Woods. Bob Smiley's journey is to capture every moment on the golf course that makes Tiger Woods a fantastic player. The way Tiger gets to the tournaments and the way Bob gets there are so different. Tiger is first class all the way.

In his travels from San Diego to Dubai. He talks about meeting the a batch of strangers that end up becoming friends of Bob Smiley. The best part is also seeing how focused a person needs to be in order to be the best at what they do. During the tournament in Florida at the Doral Tiger's bogey on the 7th hole pushed him to get three birdies in a row. That's when you score one less than par of the hole you are playing

The thing about this book is not just about the golf, which is amazing, but about the life of a fan watching a fantastic golfer struggle through a season with a bad leg and a perfect shot every time he needs one. He (Bob Smiley) talks about his family and his dream to complete his mission to watch Tiger on every hole at every tournament. The author is funny with the different people he meets along the way.

Tiger did not exactly blow through Torre Pines that week but he did win. The story goes hour by hour and follows each swing Tiger makes. The fun part of the book is when Bob Smiley goes to the dermatologist in an RV at the Buick Open. He has skin issues and needs to get check and they have free clinics like that at tournaments. My dad and I go the the Firestone in Akron every year and have had a check up like Bob.

TV writer and ESPN.com contributor
Bob Smiley follows Tiger Woods for 604 holes of Tiger's 2008 golf season. He started in January of 2008 at the Buick Invitational in La Jolla, Ca. Torrey Pines is a beautiful golf coarse and Tiger has won the last 3 years. Bob Smiley makes the story his own by being the spectator to one of the greatest golfers of all time. He is a spectator admiring Tiger Woods on every shot.